Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
duty_n	affection_n	love_n	love_v	1,882	5	6.6827	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12210	Yea and amen: or, pretious promises, and priviledges Spiritually unfolded in their nature and vse. Driving at the assurance and establishing of weak beleevers. By R. Sibbs D.D. master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and preacher of Grayes Inne London. Reviewed by himselfe in his life time, and since perused by T.G. and P.N.	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.	1638 (1638)	STC 22521; ESTC S102402	91,199	446

up and helpe maintaine a gratious frame within me Where true holinesse is the soule is sensible of all advantages and disadvantages of good An indifferency for any company or imployment shewes a dead heart This is a main difference to distinguish a childe of God from a prophane wretch that only lives to himselfe his heart is taken up wholy with the world and matters below wheras the godly are all for thriving in grace and increase of godlinesse The wicked man considers of things as they serve to satisfie his lust and if wee have better thoughts at any time it is but for a start But a godly mans aimes are alwayes holy and the strength of his soul is put forth that way He values himselfe as hee stands in relation to God and a better life and esteemes all other things more or lesse as they further or hinder his spiritual growth and bring peace and sorrow at the last unto him But I hasten to the second part of the Text The persons to whom this priviledge belongs that is to them that love God And why to them that love God because the Apostle speaketh of afflictions and wee know that the grace which is most conversant in the Saints sufferings is patience which floweth from love Also for that of all other graces is the first and sweetest it is the first for whom wee love wee are sorry to offend and hate whatsoever is contrary to that we affect we rejoyce in that we love grieve in the absence thereof It is the commanding affection of all others and setteth the whole man sweetly a work to attaine its defire Love makes us forward and zealous Christians all the inward worship of God is in the affections As thou shalt rejoyce in no God but me and feare no God but me All the Commandements of God are brought by Christ to this duty Againe love hath a speciall part in this priviledge of bringing all things to work for our good For when we love God wee will make the best use of every thing which we suffer or do If we love God and eye his glory therein Love makes any burthen easie it makes us studious of pleasing the party loved as we say in the Proverb Love me and doe with me what you will Love is full of inventions it studies complacencie and sets the soule a work to honour God in all things In that the Apostle saith To them that love God and not to the children or servants of God Wee may observe That Christianity is not a bare title but it requireth some qualification Therefore the Scriptures when they describe a Saint on earth doe not usually say the child of God but they set him forth by some holy affections or actions wrought in him As such as love God or feare God and walks in his wayes Hereby shewing that Religion is not a matter of complement but a reall and holy endeavour to please the Lord and although the Scriptures do name but some one particular affection yet it is all one as if they had named all for where one is in truth there all followes Again in that the Apostle here ascribes priviledges to those only that are thus qualified wee must take heed in applying the promises of God and these sweet consolations that we be such persons to whom of right they doe belong for all things work for the best not to every one but to such as love God We must not therefore preach comfort to all but must first labour to make men capable of it To this end 1. First wee will shew the Nature of this love 2. Secondly the exercises of it and directions unto it 3. Thirdly some incitements to this holy affection The ground of Love is a considering of God as our owne God in the covenant of Grace and an acknowledging of our selves to bee his peculiar children in Christ Jesus when wee can say as the Spouse in the Canticles I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine this is a loving of God not as the God of Nature only but as ours peculiar by Grace This union of love which knits us to Christ impileth another union by faith first which is a cleaving to God as my God and to Christ as my Christ whence issues a second conjunction or cleaving to him in love as my Saviour my Husband and my Head To come to the nature of this Grace and then to the working of it The Nature of Love is seene in foure things 1. In admiring of some secret good in the thing beloved which stirres up the soule to make out for it 2. In a studiousnesse of the contentation of the person beloved 3. In a desire of union and fellowship with the person we affect 4. In a resting and solacing of our selves in the thing wee love By these let us examine our selves whether we have the true love of God or no For it concernes us much to have this grace it will distinguish us from all others who feare him not First our love to Christ commeth from the high esteem of the good things wee see in him But how shall wee know whether that wee have this admiring of the good things we see in God and in his word and children Wee shal know it by our choice and our choice followes our judgement Would wee know whether our judgement be good See what do we choose especially when things of the world and God come together And here we want not examples to guide us The question was whether that Moses should still choose to live in Pharaohs Court and hee accounted his sonne in law or else depart and suffer adversity with Gods children Now Moses by sound judgement had an high esteeme of the excellencie and priviledges of the Saints And therfore chose rather to endure afflictions than to enjoy the pleasures of sinne for a season Let us then see whether wee can be contented to part with our preferment or pleasure for God or no. And whether we do esteeme the rebukes of Christ greater riches than the treasures of the world whether we can lay down our lives and liberties at Christs feet and gladly want all so we may enjoy him If it be so with us our estate is good Againe let us see whether wee have a right prizing of the good things in God Doe wee delight to speak much and often of Christ and the benefits we receive by him How was Saint Pauls heart enlarged and his tongue full of heavenly eloquence in setting sorth the unspeakable mercies of God which wee have by Christ Jesus our Lord If God be on our side who can be against us saith he What shall separate us from the love of Christ Shall tribulation shall anguish and affliction I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor any other thing can doe it Another signe to know whether we have a secret admiration of the good things

hee longed after the House of God when the people were ready to stone him wherein did he trust but in the Lord his strong ●ower In the last place would we know whether we can rest in God or no. Let us examine our selves then what endeavours we have every day to cleanse our soules from sinne that so God may take pleasure in us and we againe may delight in him Let us see how we restraine our affections from running riot after the World and sinful pleasures And how we set our joy upon God and frame our selves to do his will I beseech you let us deale faithfully with our owne soules in this particular And if we find that our hearts tell us as Peters told him Lord thou knowest that I love thee I desire ô Lord to please thee above all things I have set mine heart upon thee and I joy in thee and in thy love more than in all things else in the world If thus I say we can in the integrity of our spirits appeale to God who only knowes and searches our wayes and say truly Lord thou knowest that I love thee it is a certaine and infallible signe unto us that we are his and all things shall work for the best unto us But take we heed how wee deceive our selves in these things by love we are Christians therefore labour for sincerity of affection A Reprobate or a Castaway may go far in these four signes of love He may admire and wonder at the good things of God but he doth it not from any thing within him but from the outward beholding of them he can admire and talk of them but yet such men are without any rellish or sweet taste of the thing they speak of So likewise an Hypocrite may desire to please God in many things but not in all things as we see in Herod he heard Iohn Baptist willingly and obeyed in some things but not in all he could not be crossed in his beloved sinne which abode in him that must not bee touched Then farwell God and farwell Christ and all So a Castaway may desire to be in Heaven as being a place good for him and hee may have some little taste of those joyes above as is mentioned in the Hebrewes but hee hath no rellish of them from the love of God but only from the love of himselfe And his desire is not such as will draw him on to the use of means for spiritual growth and progresse thereunto as we see in Balaam hee had a desire to die the death of the righteous but this could not make him leave his covetous disposition and find a contentment in God alone A Reprobate may bee content with religion and with Gods wayes so long as peace doth accompany the same as now in this our Countrey Christ commeth amongst us with plenty and prosperity therefore Christ is a good Christ but if the Gospell and Religion should bee professed with perfecution and danger and disgrace it would soone appeare where mens contentments were There is a resting not in the truth because it is truth but in regard of the good things which follow it If we desire to approve our selves to God let us examine our selves about this affection and every branch of it The deceit is both common and deadly and the profession of Religion in many Christians is not for Religion it selfe but for by ends and sinister respects To which end consider further these particulars Where there is true love there will bee a dedesire of union to the beloved object so where the love of God is there will be a desire of the accomplishment of the marriage betweene God and the soule He that loves a Harlot saith the wise man is one with her so he that affects the Lord desires to be one with him therefore men have their names from what they love if they love the world they are called worldlings if they love Christ they are called Christians how canst thou say that thou lovest the Lord and doest not desire his presence in his Ordinances Can we say wee love such a man when we care not for his company God observes not so much what we do as from what affection our duties proceed Againe if we love there will bee a desire to give content to the party beloved this appeares even in carnall self-selfe-love for take a man that loves himselfe he makes himselfe his utmost aime and end in all his actions but when once God hath plucked this fleshly love out of our soules then our affections will be carried to Christ only this made the Prophet David say I love the Lord deerly He is my rock my fortresse my deliverer a Christian hath his contentment in God alone he findes an all-sufficiency in the Almighty and therfore makes him his resting place In all his trouble he will make God his deliverer and finde more true comfort in him than in all the things of the world besides therefore if God should take all other things from us yet if hee leave us Himselfe a Christian is well contented be cause he knowes his best being is in God But how shall I know whether I doe esteeme rightly of God or no If we highly esteeme any thing whether it be of this or a better life we will be often speaking of them it is a signe men undervalue heavenly truths when they discourse little about them they much set light by God that have him not in all their thoughts Againe what we esteeme of we will choose above other things it appeares we have a pretious esteem of God when we choose him and him alone for our portion as David when he said One thing have I desired of the Lord that I may dwell in his courts for ever where God is truly loved there will be a fall of all earthly things in that mans estimation so he may gaine Christ he counts all else but drosse and dung Lastly if thou lovest God thou wilt be afraid to offend him and carefull to please him in all things God delights not in a proud and haughty spirit but in an humble and meek soule these then should be thy delight God is wonderfull well pleased with faith for it is that which bindes him to performe his promise therefore seek it earnestly whatsoever God approves a Christian should take pleasure in every grace is an ornament to a Christian and God delights to see his owne graces in us Isaac before hee took Rebecka to wife sent her Jewels to adorne her so Christ sends rich Jewels to his children even the graces of his Holy Spirit to make us love him and fit us the more for him Those that live in sinnes against conscience think we that these love God No certainly if they did they would love that which he loves and hate that which he hates what a pittifull thing is it to see men glorying in that which is their shame in swearing

he love us first of all and prevent us with his favours Is not his love full and overflowing so as he never leaves us untill he make an end where he sreeth a man from danger he set leth him in a good estate never ceasing till he possesse him of glory as it is 2 Tim. 4. The Lord hath freed me out of the mouth of the Lion and hee will preserve me to his everla sting kingdome He delivers us srom spirituall evill and gives us spirituall good The meditation of these things will warme our hearts The next meanes is to ●oyne feare with our love to God whom we love throughly we will do nothing that shall displease The feare of God whom we love will cause us to make conscience of the least sinne against him for there is no sinne be it never so little but it will weaken our affection to goodnesse When we venture upon any thing against conscience is there not a decay of our love to God and of our sense of his favour towards us surely sin is the only make-bate in our soules and weakner of all our comforts Those therefore are the lovingest soules towards God that are most conscientious in their wayes Carelesse Christians have not that feeling of Gods love which humble fruitfull Christians have neither doe they live or die with that comfort as these do We are the Spouse of Christ and he is jealous of our love Our betrothed Husband cannot abide that we should set our affections upon strangers Take heed therefore of adulterous and false affections the more we love earthly things the lesse we shall esteeme of heavenly and as our affection towards the creature increaseth so our heat towards Christ abateth The next direction to stir up our love unto God is to exercise the same daily For true love is not an abstractive affection but an affection in practise and we know every thing doth increase by exercise exercise it therefore in fighting against the love of the world and all selfe love for as there are contrary commands so there are contrary desires in a Christian as there is the old man and the new man the flesh and the Spirit so there are contrary affections one setting it selfe against another in him When we see a poore Christian the love of God will say unto us now shew thy love unto Christ in succouring one of his members No saith fl●sh and blood charity begins at home thou mayst want thy selfe another day In doing good likewise wee should say here is now an occasion offered me of honouring God and I will imbrace it Oh but saith selfe-love there is time enough hereafter hereby you may run into poverty and disgrace be not too forward Therefore there must be a perpetuall deniall of our selvs against our whole thwart nature Those that are Christians know experimentally what belongs to these things but take a carnall man or woman and they are led altogether by their sensuall lusts as bruit Beasts whatsoever ease and selfe-love wils that swayes their hearts any wayes And indeed the most sincere Christian hath the motions of these carnall and worldly respects but his love unto God constrains him to deny all and listen to what Christ whispereth in his heart Consider wee a little what may stirre us up to exercise our selves herein Love it is the light of our life love we must something and he lives not that loves not seeing then we cannot but love and that the misplacing of our affectiō is the cause of all sin and misery what can we doe better than attend to directions how to love as we should To come therefore to the foure things before mentioned being the branches of love First We must admire God above all things And can wee admire any thing with wisdome but God alone It is commonly said that wee cannot be wise and love together for that this affection is blinde except it be in God Againe is there any thing more comfortable then that we give content to God Is any service comparable to the service of a Prince We must serve the Lord only and others in and for him or else all we do is naught All other services are bondage this a perfect freedome Againe is there any thing more worthy our soules than to be united to God Can we have a greater happinesse than to be made one with Christ By loving a thing we come to be like to it Is there any thing that may or ought to challenge our love but Christ Is it not a base thing to unite our soules which are the best things under Heaven to earthly contentments than which we shall one day find nothing to be worse The love of God planted in our hearts maketh Christ and us one As a Pearle in a Ring makes the Ring more pretious and valuable so the soule united unto Christ commeth to bee more gracious and heavenly The more excellent the soule is the more loving it will be to God The holiest Saints have ever burned with most affection to Christ as Moses and Paul Can any thing satisfie us more than God Know wee not that all things here shall perish Therefore when wee place our love and joy in the world do we not lose them too We shall leave behinde us the things of this life our sins only we carry away which cleave fast unto us and staine our consciences world with out end what might more content us than the love of God which wil endure for ever and accompany us to Heaven when all other loves perish Consider that every thing thou dost without love is dead and empty love is the life of all actions as we say of a gift the love of the giver is better than the gift it selfe not only our performance is nothing without love but we our selves are nothing without it every acceptable service we doe must proceed from this heavenly flame Though wee speak with the tongues of men and Angels and have not love we are like to a sounding brasse and tinckling Symball Have wee not much to do and suffer in this life and what is it that makes us constant in duty carries us through so many oppositions as we meet withall is it not love doth not love sweeten our hearts and take away every difficulty in our way to Heaven Whilest we live here we must of necessity suffer ill things and go on in well doing neither of which can be performed without love this rules our whole lives Beg therefore of God to quicken thee in all cheerefull and willing obedience pray that the Sunne of righteousnesse would enlighten thy heart wee cannot serve God without God nor have any holy affection except by his Spirit he work the same in us FINIS Doct. 1. Observ. Doct. Doct. 4. Conscience what Why God rules his Church by promises Reas. 2. The excellencie of Divine Promises Definition of a promise 1 Pet. 1. 10 Mark 1. 11 1 Cor. 15.

temptations which hefail us in our pilgrimage A man in his pure natu rals will swell against this doctrine because he feeles no such thing and thinks what is above his measure is hypocrisie He makes himselfe the rule of other Christians to walke by and therefore values and esteemes others by his uncertaine condition but the heart of a Christian hath a light in it the Spirit of God in his soule makes him discerne what estate he is in In a naturall man all is dark hee sees nothing because his heart is in a Dungeon his eye being dark the whole man must needs be in blindnesse All is alike to him he sees no difference betweene flesh and spirit and therefore holds on in a doubting hope in a confused disposition and temper of soule to his dying-day But a Christian that labours to walk in the comforts of the holy Ghost cannot rest in such an unsetled estate he dares not venture his eternall welfare upon such infirme grounds What to depart this life and be tossed in uncertainty whether a man goes to Heaven or to Hell What a miserable perplexity must such a soule needs be in Therefore he is still working out his salvation and storing up of grace against the evill day And well may this condition challenge all our diligence in labouring for it because it is neither attained nor maintained without the strength and prime of our care for the sense of Gods favour will not bee kept without keeping him in our best affections above all things else in the world besides without keeping of our hearts constantly close and neere to him which can never bee done without keeping a most narrow watch over our loose spirits which are ever ready to stray from him and fall to the creature It cannot be kept without exact walking and serious selfe-deniall But what of that Can wee spend our labours to better purpose One sweet beame of Gods countenance will requite all abundantly A Christian indeed undergoes more trouble and paines especially with his own heart than others do but what is that to his gaines One day spent in communion with God is sweeter than a thousand without it What comforts so great as those that are fetched from the Fountaine Oh woe to him that savours not these heavenly but lingers after carnall comforts It cannot but grieve the holy Spirit when the consolations of the Almighty are either forgotten or seem nothing to us But why doth the Spirit thus establish and seale us and conveigh grace to our soules why doth that doe all Because since the fall we have no principles of supernaturall good in us and there must be a principle above nature to work grace in our barren hearts Againe there is still remaining in us an utter aversnesse to that which is spiritually good in the best therefore there must bee somewhat to over-power their corrupt disposition But why the Spirit rather than the Father or the Sonne Hee comes from both and therefore is fit to witnesse the love of both the Holy Ghost is in the breast of the Father and the Sonne hee knowes their secret affection towards us A mans spirit is acquainted with his in most thoughts the blessed Spirit is privie to the hidden love of God and of Jesus Christ to us poore creatures which we are strangers unto therefore none so fit to cheere and revive us Indeed the love originally is from the Father but in regard of application of what is wrought by the Sonne all proceeds from the Holy Ghost he receives grace from Christ for us It must needs be so because no lesse than the Spirit of God can quiet our perplexed spirits in time of tentation For when the conscience of a guilty person is affrighted what man can allay its feares That which must settle a troubled spirit must be a spirit above our owne It being no easie thing to bring the soule and God together after peace is broken we have both wind and tide against us in this businesse grace being but weak and corruption strong in the best of us We should labour therfore for heavenly spirits get somthing more than a man in us There can never be any true peace attained till the Spirit from above settle it in our souls An unsanctified heart is an unpacified heart If there be a neglect of holinesse the soule can never bee soundlyquiet where there is not a cleare conscience there cannot be a calm cōscience that is a generall rule Sinne like Ionas in the ship will raise continuall stormes both within and without a man Take away God once and farewell all true tranquillity Spirituall comforts flow immediatly from the Spirit of Comfort who hath his office designed for that purpose But how shall we know that we have the Spirit How may a man know that hee hath a soule by living and moving by actions vitall c. Even so may a man know hee hath the Spirit of God by its blessed effects and operations it is not idle in us but as the soule quickens the body so doth the Spirit the soule Every saving grace is a signe that the Spirit is in us Wheresoever the Spirit dwells hee transformes the soule changes the party like himselfe to be holy and gracious this is an undoubted symptome of the Spirits habitation Secondly all spirituall graces are with conflict for that which is true is with a great deale of resistance of that which is counterfeit the flesh still lusts against the spirit and Satan cannot endure to see any man walk cōfortably to heaven What thinks hee such a base creature as this is to have the earnest of salvation to live here as if hee were in heaven already and to defie all opposite powers sure hee shall have little peace this way I will disquiet and vex his spirit if he will goe to heaven hee shall go mourning thither This is the reasoning of the cursed spirit whereupon hee labours to shake our assurance and follow us with perplexities The grace and comfort of a Christian is with much conflict and tentations not only with Satan but with his owne heart which so long as guilt remaines wil ever be misgiving and casting of doubts there must therfore be a higher power than the soule of man to quiet and allay its owne troubles Thirdly the Spirit enables us to the practise of those duties which by nature wee are averse unto as to love an enemie to overcome our revenge to be humble in prosperity and contented with any estate It drawes our affection heavenward and makes us delight in God above all as our best portion Hee that hath the Spirit joyes in spirituall company and imployment he hates sinne as being contrary to that blessed earnest which hee hath received He looks on things as God doth and approves of the same as hee is made more or lesse spirituall thereby and so is brought neerer to that fountaine of